What do you know about open source software? Heck, even if you’re not a hacker or developer active in the open-source community, you probably know it has something to do with publicly sharing code — you put your software online and contribute tweaks and twists in a crowdsourced way to things that other people have put online. That’s open source: nobody owns it and you’re free to do with it what you please.

What you might not know is there’s also a open-source hardware community. You put your platforms, specs and hardware hacks online and open them to community use and input. And one of the pioneers and thought leaders in the movement is right here in Boulder, namely Alicia Gibb, founding president of the Open Source Hardware Association and author of the brand-spanking-new and mightily awesome book Building Open Source Hardware: DIY Manufacturing for Hackers and Makers. Gibb is also the director of Blow Stuff Up (BTU) Lab at CU, and if you don’t already follow her on Twitter, you should because she says funny and interesting things about funny and interesting stuff.

Gibb is signing and chatting about her new book this weekend at the Boulder Mini Maker Faire! Want to know more about open-source hardware? Want to know how you can get involved? This is your chance to ask. Get your tix here, cheaper than at the door: